Domestic Workers Bill of Rights: A Feminist Approach for a New Economy

Several years ago, my grandfather had a stroke that left him
paralyzed on the left side of his body. My grandmother, while in good
health, was over 70 and unable to help him move around, bathe or meet
many of his basic needs. So like thousands of other families, they
hired a home attendant. The first time I met Ms. Li was a couple of
years after she was hired. A second stroke had put my grandfather back
in the hospital in critical condition. I remember entering the hospital
room to visit him. Ms. Li sat at the side of his bed with a small
plastic comb in her hand, slowly combing back his thin grey hair. His
eyes were closed, and his expression peaceful and light. I turned to
greet my grandmother, who said quietly, "He asks for her to comb his
hair. It puts him at ease." Apparently, every morning at home for the
last two years, she patiently combed his hair after bathing him. At that
moment, it was clear to me that there are few greater gifts than being
cared for by another person. It is rooted in the interconnectedness of
humanity; we rely on one another, particularly when we face the
uncertainty of life.

We live in an economic system that requires us to disconnect from
each other despite the fact that we are ultimately interconnected. In
fact, many forms of necessary labor are erased and devalued in our
current system, particularly work that has historically been associated
with women and women of color. The domestic work industry provides a
clear window into this reality. Domestic worker organizing not only
seeks to address the systemic problems facing the workforce, but also
points to ways we can reshape the economy, toward a more sustainable
system that adequately supports our basic human needs.

A World of Work in the Home

The estimated 2.5 million women who labor as domestic workers in the
United States make it possible for their employers to go to work every
day by caring for the most precious elements of their employers' lives:
their families and homes. Essentially, domestic workers produce the
labor power of the families they work for. Those families go to work
knowing that they can return to a clean home, to clean clothes to wear,
and to elderly parents and children who will have their basic needs met.
In fact, domestic workers have to play the role of nurses, art
teachers, counselors, tutors, assistants, and nutritionists. Yet,
because this work has historically been associated with the unpaid work
of women in the home or with the poorly paid work of Black and immigrant
women, it remains undervalued and virtually invisible to public
consciousness.

In New York, over 200,000 women of color leave their homes several
hours before everyone else, often in the dark, in order to arrive at
their employers' homes before they leave for work. Many arrive early to
prepare children for school and walk them to their buses. Some even
live in their employers' homes, prepare breakfast and pack lunches for
the entire household. Because women's work in the home has never been
factored into national labor statistics, it is difficult to quantify the
economic contributions of this workforce. However, if domestic workers
across the city went on strike, almost every industry would be impacted.
Doctors, lawyers, bankers, professors, small business owners, civil
sector employees and media executives would all be affected. The urban
economy would be paralyzed.